Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • S p r i n g 2 0 1 6 91 JERSEY SHORE FOODIE F rank Kineavy might have found the secret to owning not one, but two, successful Jersey Shore restau- rants that have continued to thrive over the past thirty-five years. "Heart and soul. That's what it takes, heart and soul. And passion," he said. Kineavy's heart, soul, and passion are his two homes away from home: Rod's Olde Irish Tavern in Sea Girt, which celebrates thirty-five years in business in April, and Frankie's Bar & Grill in Point Pleasant Beach, which has been in business for thir- ty years. And if anyone ever doubts that the American Dream can still be attained, all he or she needs to do is take a look at Kineavy. As a kid, it was his dream to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was a tavern owner. In 1971, he met his future business partner, the late Rod Keller, while he was tending bar at Rosie O'Grady's in Eatontown, one of Keller's restaurants. "I worked for him when I was in college, and we ended up becoming lifelong friends," he said. Kineavy got a great glimpse of the industry through working at Rosie O'Grady's and again when he worked and lived in New York City during his early twenties. In 1981, Keller gave Kineavy the opportunity of a lifetime—to combine forces and knowledge by opening up a restaurant together at the Jersey Shore. "We found the building for Rod's, signed the lease in February, and were open in April of 1981," he said. Because of Keller's family background in the restaurant indus- try, they decided to name it after him and his father, Rod Sr., thus the name "Rod's Olde Irish Tavern." "We felt there was a need for a place like Rod's at the Jersey Shore, and we were the ones who could fulfill that need." Rod's Olde Irish Tavern opened as a casual restaurant/bar with an "old-fashioned, turn-of-the- century saloon atmosphere." About a year after Rod's opened its doors, despite the naysayers and skeptics, it had become very popular. Kineavy explained, "The building there had been kind of a 'white ele- phant.' Nobody had ever really been successful there. When we first took it over, people told us we were going to fail, that the place was jinxed. Then all of a sudden we started to get really busy. Somebody came up to Rod and said, 'Rod…what's the answer? How come you guys are so busy?' He said, 'There's no one thing, there's a million little things. It's all details.'" Four years later, the pair opened Frankie's Bar & Grill in Point Plea- sant Beach, this time named after Kineavy. Frankie's and Rod's are sim- ilarly different, and what sets each apart, according to Kineavy, is the neighborhood where each is located. He said, "They're local watering holes and restaurants. For the most part, we get people from the Point Pleasant Beach area coming to Frankie's, and people from the towns surrounding Sea Girt at Rod's." Kineavy bought out Keller in 1987, and since then, he has been the sole owner of both locations. To survive for over thirty-five years in an industry as difficult and harsh as the restaurant business is a compli- ment. Kineavy is quick to point out how much of a role model Keller was to him. "He had a sixth sense for business, and I was lucky enough to learn from him. He was my mentor and my hero. I would never have had these restaurants without Rod Keller." Kineavy stayed in close con- tact with Keller until his untimely passing in 2007 and is still in touch with Keller's family, who he considers to be the best restaurant family in New Jersey. Both Rod's and Frankie's have the same menu, same prices, and sim- ilar atmospheres filled with energy. "I think what sets both places apart from everybody else is the heart and soul that's in here," Kineavy said. "When you go into a place, you can feel whether there's some soul, some passion, and some heart in it or not, and I think our customers know that we really care about them and go out of our way to please them. Other than my family, nothing has been more important in the past thirty-five years than Rod's and Frankie's." There is a manager at the door at all times in both establishments, which is not common at most Jersey Shore restaurants. Both Rod's and Frankie's have a chef/kitchen man- Rod's is Celebrating 35 Years of Success at the Shore Jill Ocone Rod's Olde Irish Tavern in Sea Girt. continued on page 92

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